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-   -   Test-drove all 5 major Commercial Pickup Trucks & here are my short impressions (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commercial-vehicles/216869-test-drove-all-5-major-commercial-pickup-trucks-here-my-short-impressions.html)

This is my test drive review of all the 5 major pickup trucks i.e. Tata Xenon Yodha, Tata Intra V20, Mahindra Bolero Pikup, Isuzu D-max Hi-Ride and AL Dost.
I am not adding any pictures because you can find them online and also their is not much detail to see in these trucks.

Common Points:
1. Ride is very unsettled without load. Improves considerably with load but still bumpy. The only exception here is the D-Max with McPherson at the front. All other have only Leaf springs.
2. All have almost similar Loading bay area.
3. You sit HIGH above the ground.
4. Gearshifts are rubbery, except D-Max.
5. Almost similar payload capacity.
6. Very less rear wheel suspension travel. Slippage on uneven terrain is common.

Now, Individually

Tata Intra V20(with rated payload):
The newest player in the market, but nothing groundbreaking. Cabin is spacious and seating three people isn't a problem. Gear lever is dashboard mounted with long throws. Digital Instrument Cluster with Gear Shift Advisor. AC is optional.
There are two variants in Intra - V20 and V10. V20 has a 1.4L 4cyl engine producing 70HP of power whereas V10 has a 1.0L 2cyl engine producing 40HP. I only drove the V20.
First thing after cranking I noticed was the NVH. Vibrations were present but Noise and Harshness were well controlled. 1st gear is very short and it is very difficult to stall the vehicle in 1st.
Torque delivery is very linear and the power is adequate. Overall gearing is short and the engine starts asking for another gear when one exceeds 70kph in 5th. Clutch is soft by CV standard.
Braking ability was upto the Commercial Vehicle standard or maybe a little more.
The major negative is the steering. Hard to turn, Extremely Disconnected and very twitchy. Constant corrections are required to maintain a straight line on the highway.

AL Dost(payload)
Dynamics are very similar to the Tata Intra. Gearshifts are more rubbery and notchy. No seat adjustments. Steering is better than Intra and the vehicle goes almost where you want to take it. NVH levels are considerably high and the engine is boomy at high RPMs. Clutch is also a little hard.
Power delivery also matches the Intra but, 1st gear roll -off without accelerator input isn't possible. This is the only pickup with this problem.

Tata Xenon Yodha(without payload):
It has the highest seating position in the segment. Cabin is well designed and that's it. Very barebones in terms of features. No AC, even as a option. Instantly makes you feel that you are driving a CV. Dimensions are bulbous and it's a big task to drive it on a congested road. Ergonomics are decent except the handbrake on the right of the driver's seat.
Coming to the engine, it's the same tried and tested 3.0L that does its duty on the 207 and 407.
NVH is high and the steering is pretty hard. Single hand turns require a lot of effort.
Torque kicks in early and the curve is flat. Slot it in 5th at 25kmph and the engine wouldn't struggle. Gearing is short and the clutch requires some effort.

Mahindra Bolero Pickup(no payload):
Complete Barebones. No features at all. As soon as you enter, you will find the ergonomics to be all messed up. You sit nearer to the floor, Steering is very high up and even obstructs your vision. Pedals are placed high up hence you have to keep your foot hanging to operate any of these three.
The vehicle doesn't feels huge while driving and is more suited to the city than any of its competitors. Engine doesn't have much power or torque and the gearing is very slightly shorter than the Bolero SUV. IMHO, the power is inadequate. Brakes are below average and the ride quality is only livable.

Isuzu D-Max Hi-ride (with rated payload):
The absolute best. Nothing in it feels like a Pickup. It's more like a chopped- off SUV. Ride quality is decent, Ergonomics are perfect, Clutch is light and Gearshifts are decent. Once you start driving, you can easily forget that you are in a CV, it feels more like a proper SUV. Vehicle dynamics are similar to the Mahindra Scorpio if not better. Body roll is well controlled and brakes are decent.
And oh boy, the engine is a gem. It's pure, unadulterated torque. 1st gear is short and rarely needed. 2nd gear starts without touching A-pedal are a walk in the park and you can even get-going in 3rd gear with slight accelerator input.NVH is upto passenger car standard.
This vehicle made me believe that specs doesn't matter. Cruising at triple digit is piece of a cake with the engine spinning a little above 2500 rpm.
In a line, this vehicle is a underrated gem.

Beyond the specs and features, what matters the most in CV world is the operating economics. These are some of the items that are of interest:
- Acquisition cost
- Fuel efficiency
- Availability of service centres in the operating region
- Cost of spare parts and maintenance expenses
- Availability of service centres in the area of operation

Thank you for review. Looks like Isuzu is the way to go for pickups. But how does it compare against others WRT cost, payload, warranties etc.

Exactly! Above is from a driver's perspective. From an owner's perspective-
- The Bolero is the cheapest at around 7.20L on-road Lucknow followed by Xenon at 7.40L and Then Isuzu at around 7.75L.
-Both three have almost similar Fuel Efficiency but the Isuzu triumphs on the Highway due to slightly taller gearing.
- From here onwards, the Isuzu starts lagging behind and the Tata and Mahindra are neck to neck in terms Service centre availability, atleast in my area.
- Spare part cost: Bolero<Xenon≤Isuzu
The Bolero is fully tried and tested, Xenon's engine is bulletfroof and Isuzu's customer can't stop praising it's comfort.
The warranties on the Isuzu and Tata are Similar with 3yr/3L km while Mahindra offers 2yr/1L km.

I own an MY18 Isuzu D-Max Hi ride. We use it mainly to haul pharmaceutical products to medical stores and hospitals. Upgrading from a Mahindra Bolero Camper Gold 2wd, The Isuzu is miles ahead in NVH levels, cabin quality and service (the dealer is very pro-active in getting things done).
Regarding the cost, I remember the Isuzu D-Max being costlier by a margin than Bolero Pick-up. But since it was February 2019, they threw in a discount and a 3 year free service package for MY 2018 model (inclusive of consumables) which sweetened the deal. We were in fact looking for a bigger payload 'cargo body' (for the lack of a better term) as the camper's cargo body kept feeling smaller due to expanding operations. Till now the experience has been good, with vehicle roughly at 35400 kms as of today.
Minor niggles :
1. AC switch malfunctioned (replaced FOC under warranty in 48 hrs- no downtime, some paper was pushed into the switch to make it permanently in 'ON' position till the part arrived)
2. Clutch master cylinder malfunction which was blamed on manufacturing defect. (downtime 1 day - replaced FOC)

The Mahindra Camper Gold held very well during its 6 year/ 2.95 lakh kms. In fact I did not consider any other brand other than Mahindra for the next purchase. It was by sheer coincidence that I met the Isuzu SA. Bolero camper served us well and the only fly in the ointment was waiting for parts. The service centers are pathetic at best and have a very cheeky attitude to commercial vehicles when there are XUVs and Scorpios to tend to. Original spares are very hard to come by in open market, mainly because camper model was not common and whatever spares it shared with Bolero, only 'compatible' spares are readily available and cheaply that too. I never used them so I had to literally befriend a guy and treat him once a while to get spares from TVS.
But I should mention the fact that the return on investment with Mahindra when sold as compared to a Force Cruiser (roughly bought and sold at the same time) was 21% higher.
Also lighter load = less maintenance in my experience.

Despite that, the Bolero sales numbers are way, way, way better than the Xenon, month after month, year after year, for the past decade or so. You can look it up at the "sales" thread in team-bhp.

Why exactly is that?

Also, the parameters stated by @silversteed are the most paramount, nobody gives a damn about ride quality in CVs. Furthermore, I'd also add reliability (or downtime) as a parameter.

Could it be that the Bolero beats the others hands down in these parameters that matter?

Wondering why the Scorpio getaway doesn’t even feature in the “consideration” list. A friend has one and he speaks quite well of it.

The Bolero came out as a more reliable vehicle than the Tata 207, its main competitor back in the day. That legacy still continues. Reliability is a huge decisive factor for someone buying a CV which they wouldn't be driving themselves. Although, Tata has improved it's product range considerably but still, they can't gather enough trust.

I don't think the Getaway is still being manufactured, is it? IIRC, it used to cost more than 9L ex-showroom, which might have put it beyond most CV buyers' budgets. Also, being a 4wd only model would have made it a misfit for most CV operators' use case too.

The Getaway looks to be retired - at least so it seems when we look at the models list and not find it. The only pick-ups that Mahindra has are the Bolero Campers.

+1

Also the Scorpio Getaway is more of a lifestyle vehicle with a smaller loading bay and not a fully flechted Commercial Pickup.

Can any of these vehicles be registered as a white board or would you need to have the yellow board and also wear khaki shirt while driving? We use a swaraj mazda to get to our farm and back and the cops are cracking down on people travelling in the back of trucks.

Maddy

Unfortunately, No. I asked Isuzu SA the same question and he replied that it's only possible if one has high-level contacts at the RTO.

Getaway used to come in both 2wd and 4wd. Its currently not available in India but i believe being export only.
They were testing face lift getaway few months back but looks like BSVI spoiled their party.